This invention relates to improvements in portable self-heating containers for heating comestible items such as liquids, beverages, soups and the like without the necessary use of an external heat source such as a stove, a microwave oven, a campfire or the like. Self-heating containers find useful application in instances where the above-mentioned external heat sources are not available or are not conducive to the environment or situation, such as camping, hiking, picnicking in a car, a boat, a plane, a train, on a playing field, at a sports stadium or in any remote area distant from an external heat source. There may also be instances where for example at a time of crises or conflict, the making or using of a campfire to heat up comestible items may be unsafe and thus this self-heating container finds an application. There have been many self heating units proposed in the prior art. Several patent references are listed as follows:
U.S. Pat. No. 3,685,507 to Donnelly issued Aug. 22, 1972; PA1 U.S. Pat. No. 4,559,921 to Benmussa issued Dec. 24, 1985; PA1 U.S. Pat. No. 4,771,761 to Doukhan, et al. issued Sep. 20, 1988; PA1 U.S. Pat. No. 4,768,354 to Barnwell issued Sep. 6, 1988; PA1 U.S. Pat. No. 4,809,673 to Charvin issued Mar. 7, 1989; PA1 U.S. Pat. No. 5,220,909 to Pickard, et al. issued Jun. 22, 1993; PA1 U.S. Pat. No. 3,675,637 to Trimble issued Jul. 11, 1972; PA1 U.S. Pat. No. 4,793,323 to Guida, et al. issued Dec. 27, 1988; PA1 Foreign Reference, Great Britain--Patent Specification 1,455,188 published Nov. 10, 1976 to Sato. PA1 said second chamber further comprising at least one comestible receptacle receiving area proximate said second end to matingly and preferably removably receive at least one comestible receptacle, said at least one comestible receptacle receiving area having a substantially optimal heat transfer configuration to allow optimal heat transfer from said second chamber to said comestible receptacle; PA1 preferably in one embodiment a seal to seal the comestible receptacle, said seal PA1 preferably being substantially insulative and preferably substantially recyclable, preferably in another embodiment a substantially insulative portion attached to said self heating container in a configuration which substantially optimizes the heat transference from said first and second chambers to said comestible receptacle, and substantially increase the comfort level of a user holding said self heating container; preferably, said insulative portion being substantially recyclable; preferably said first chamber and said second chamber being substantially totally sealed from contact with said comestible receptacle, and preferably after use of said self-heating container, said first and second chambers, and said comestible receptacle are detachable and available for recycling. PA1 said second chamber further comprising at least one comestible receptacle receiving area proximate said second end to matingly and preferably removably receive at least one comestible receptacle, said at least one comestible receptacle receiving area having a substantially optimal heat transfer configuration to allow substantially optimal heat transfer from said first and second chambers to said comestible receptacle; PA1 preferably in one embodiment a seal to seal the comestible receptacle; said seal preferably being insulative and preferably substantially recyclable. PA1 a cutting device proximate said at least one frangible wall of the first chamber; said second chamber further comprising at least one comestible receptacle receiving area to matingly receive said comestible receptacle; said comestible receiving area having a shape that is conducive to optimal heat transfer to said comestible receptacle; PA1 preferably an insulative wall attached to said self-heating container to substantially optimize the heat transference from the chambers containing the reactants to the comestible receptacle, and to substantially increase the comfort level of a user, said method comprising PA1 a second sealed chamber having therein a predetermined amount of a second reactant preferably water preferably distilled and further having at least one frangible area; PA1 said first and second chambers being removably and matingly attached to each other respectively, preferably being pressure fitted to each other, in another embodiment, being threaded to each other; PA1 said sealed chamber further comprising a cutting device proximate to at least one frangible area of said sealed chamber, said cutting device being capable of cutting said at least frangible area of said first chamber to allow mixing of said water with said substantially anhydrous calcium chloride resulting in an exothermic reaction and thus heating said comestible liquid/beverage receptacle, a seal to seal said comestible liquid/beverage receptacle comestible liquid/beverage receptacle in said comestible liquid/beverage receptacle in the exterior cup-like cavity whilst being stored and/or heated; PA1 said self-heating recyclable container further comprising an insulative label affixed to the outermost wall of said container to optimize the heat transfer from said chambers containing the reactants to said comestible liquid beverage receptacle and to substantially increase the comfort level of a user holding said container; PA1 said reactants being totally sealed from physical contact with the comestible liquid/beverage receptacle and thus as well from the comestible liquid/beverage; PA1 said second chamber further comprising at least one comestible receptacle receiving area proximate said second end to matingly and removably receive at least one comestible receptacle, said at least one comestible receptacle receiving area having a substantially corrugated configuration to allow substantial optimal heat transfer from said first and second chambers to said comestible receptacle; PA1 a substantially insulative seal to seal the comestible receptacle; said comestible receptacle being made of a substantially recyclable metal and substantially corrugated to be matingly received in said receiving area; PA1 said frangible wall having a series of stress lines and/or fracture lines allowing said frangible wall when cut or broken to form pieces or fragments to aid in the mixing of the water and the anhydrous calcium chloride; PA1 a substantially insulative label attached to said self heating container to substantially optimize the heat transference from said first and second chambers to said comestible receptacle, and substantially increase the comfort level of a user holding said self heating container; PA1 said first chamber and said second chamber being totally sealed from contact with said comestible receptacle, whereupon after use of said self heating container, said first and second chambers and said comestible receptacle are detachable and available for recycling.
Several drawbacks encountered by the applicant in the prior art include inefficient heating of the comestible item, lengthy time period in order to have the comestible item reach an acceptable temperature: several prior art self heating containers have a container made up of several different materials (such as a metal and a plastic) that are fused and/or clenched together thus making the container not readably disposable as a recyclable item. The separate containers housing the various reactants in the prior art have also been fused together with the food holding container, thus the prior art container has a characteristic that is not again conducive to recyclability. The prior art self heating containers also expose the receptacle which holds the comestible liquid or beverage or item to at least one of the reactants producing the exothermic reaction, thus increasing the probability of an accident by the user by possibly burning himself or herself in the process of heating the comestible item or by ingesting the reactants.
It is therefore an object of the invention to provide a self heating container which is highly efficient in providing heat transference from the reactants container to the comestible container. It is also another object of the invention to provide a self heating container which minimizes the risk of accident to the user upon heating said comestible item and drinking same. It is yet a further object of the invention to provide a self heating container which is environment friendly such that various components of the container can be recycled. It is still a further object of the invention to provide a self heating container where the chemical reactants do not come in contact with the comestible container.
Further, and other objects of the invention will become readily apparent to a person skilled in the art in reading the following specification, summary of the invention and detailed description of the invention describing several embodiments.